Mitt finds no split on Ryan budget

MIAMI — In the heart of a must-win state heavily populated with senior citizens, Mitt Romney couldn’t distinguish between his own plan to reform the budget and the one advanced by his running mate.

Romney’s decision to pick Paul Ryan as his No. 2 thrust the congressman’s plans to overhaul Medicare, an entitlement program on which many seniors are dependent, into the spotlight. Given the politically explosive nature of that debate, especially in a place like Florida, Romney has said that while Ryan’s plan is on the right track, he would propose his own budget as president. But the presumptive GOP nominee didn’t answer how that plan might differ from Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” on Monday in Florida.

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When pressed by reporters here, Romney couldn’t find the space between his own view and that of his running mate’s on Medicare.

“I’m sure there are places that my budget is different than, but we’re on the same page as I’ve said before. We want to get America on track to a balanced budget,” Romney said at a press conference on the tarmac at the Miami International Airport.

When pressed about differences between the two plans, Romney said: “There may be, we’ll take a look at the differences.”

Asked a third time, Romney was still unable to list a difference.

“Well the items that we agree on I think outweigh any differences there may be. We haven’t gone through piece by piece and said, ‘Oh, here’s a place where there’s a difference,’” Romney said. “I can’t imagine any two people even in the same party who have exactly the same positions on all issues.”

The impromptu airport press conference was one of three events as Romney continued his bus tour through Florida. He spent the first two days of the tour stumping with Ryan, but the Wisconsin lawmaker headed to Iowa instead of the Sunshine State on Monday.

Romney’s bus tour will continue to the final state on Tuesday, swinging through southern Ohio.

In Florida, Romney appeared with Sen. Marco Rubio, who was rumored to be on Romney’s vice presidential short list, and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, two rising stars in the GOP. Romney spoke enthusiastically about both.

“This is the team, this is the team, this is the family,” Romney told the crowd in Miami.

Rubio spoke energetically about Romney at both Florida campaign stops, including at a juice bar in Miami that drew a large Hispanic contingency.

“It’s a choice about our identity as a nation and a people,” Rubio said at a rally in St. Augustine.